VERMIN. 



vermin, the author of a late Calendar of Hufbandry has, 

 however, advifed that every farm (hould be well provided 

 with a competent number of ferrets, and of true vermin- 

 bred dogs, fuch as are ufually kept for the purpofe ; and 

 that an hour or two fhould be fpared weekly, and referved 

 for executing the bufmefs in all accefilble places. The 

 holes and haunts of the vermin, in and about the premifes, 

 are to be diligently fought out and difcovered ; trifling re- 

 wards being given for the purpofe, as an encouragement, by 

 the mailer. Nothing of a refpite is to be allowed to the 

 delinquents, but a war of extermination is to be conftantly 

 kept up and carried on throughout the whole year. In aid 

 of thefe means, others too may be adopted, when neceflary ; 

 as thofe of the trap kind, which fhould be of the cage fort, 

 and not fuch as to endanger the cats, a moil ufeful fort of 

 domellics, which are fully entitled to care and kindnefs ; the 

 qualifications of which in this fituation are, that they do not 

 touch young poultry, and hunt for mere fport, rather than 

 from the impulfe of hunger ; as eating their prey injures 

 them, and lefTens their exertions. The ferrets in this view- 

 are, it is thought, bed kept in huts, in the fame manner as 

 the rabbits : their food is well known to be any fort of offal 

 of the flefh kind, with occafionally a little milk and bread 

 boiled. 



The fame means of extirpation and removal apply equally, 

 it is fuppofed, to the field vermin, polecats, weafels, and 

 their different varieties ; which, unlefs they be checked, 

 commit fuch frequent confiderable nightly depredations in 

 and about farm-yards, as to become highly injurious, taking 

 away various kinds of poultry in different dates, and fome- 

 times even young pigs. But it is believed that neither thefe 

 nor the fox would be heard of near fuch premifes, if they 

 were well furnifhed and guarded by vermin dogs. 



A good method of trapping field vermin has been pro- 

 pofed by the author of the Rural Economy of the County 

 of Kent, which is this : a wooden box, refembhng a dog- 

 kennel, divided in the middle by an open wire partition, 

 running from end to end, and reaching from the ridge of the 

 roof of it to the floor ; one fide of which partition is again 

 divided into two parts or cages, one of them for a rabbit, 

 and the other for a live fowl to be put into, to allure the 

 vermin ; the other half formed into a faUing box-trap to 

 take them in. But it is furely a moft unneceflary piece of 

 cruelty to expofe a poor wretched fowl or rabbit to the 

 fight and claws of their dreaded enemy. Kill the baits, and 

 all is right ; as the fcent of the frefh blood is the greateft 

 poffible enticement to fuch vermin. 



In regard to vipers, efts, lizards, toads, and different 

 others of any fort of poifonous vermin of the reptile kind, 

 which are troublefome and prejudicial to the farmer, it is 

 fuggefted, that if country-people, who are engaged in this 

 way, would be unanimous and fteady in their endeavours, all 

 thefe forts of creeping little animals might in time be extin- 

 guifhed. Would a fingle parifli but make the effort, it is 

 faid, of rooting out all fuch ufelefs and dangerous vermin, 

 they would foon find their account in it, and would un- 

 doubtedly be followed by their adjoining diflrifts. The 

 only mode is, it is thought, by the allowing of handfome 

 premiums to thofe who fhall produce the vermin, or who may 

 difcover their retreats, hiding-places, or their ova or eggs. 



In refpeft to the deflruftive vermin birds of prey, and 

 thofe of other kinds, it may be noticed, that the former, 

 fuch as carrion-crows, ravens, magpies, kites, hawks, and 

 fome others, chiefly endanger the poultry, fometimes even 

 attack lambs, and are often injurious to difeafed fheep, by 

 picking them in different parts ; while the latter, as jays. 



pigeons, rooks, and different forts of fmall birds, are princi- 

 pally deflruftive of field produce. The firft, as well as 

 pies, bull-finches, and fome others, are greatly deflruftive 

 of fruit, and the jay often commits much injury on bean- 

 crops near harveft-time. Pigeons are particularly injurious i 

 at feed-time and harveft, by deflroying large quantities of 

 grain, tares, and feeds, and doing much hurt to the crops. 

 Rooks are a fort of vermin which do great injury to various 

 kinds of field-crops as they rife, and at other times ; but 

 they are thought by fome to be ufeful in devouring the 

 grub-worm and other infefts. Small birds do much mif- 

 chief by the deilruftion of grain which they caufe at the 

 time of fowing, and when the corn becomes nearly ripe ; 

 befides that which they, in fome cafes, do to fuch build- 

 ings as are covered with thatch. In fome places they 

 quit the towns, villages, and fingle houfes, and attack the 

 corn-fields in flocks of thoufands together, and would foon 

 clear whole fields if not kept off by proper means. Some 

 forts of thefe birds feed upon animal as well as vegetable 

 food, and do good by leffening the number of grubs, cater- 

 pillars, and butterflies, and much harm by deflroying blof- 

 foms, fruit, and corn in the fields. Great numbers of 

 caterpillars are faid to have been found in the flomachs of 

 fome forts of thefe fmall birds. The befl and mofl effeftual 

 proteftrion againfl their injuries and depredations, in all thefe 

 cafes, is probably the gun, though other means, fuch as 

 rattles, and different contrivances, may be had recourfe to 

 againft fuch vermin. 



Vermin of the worm, grub, fl ng, and other fimilar kinds, 

 are often very injurious to the farmer's crops. The earth- 

 worm, the wire-worm, the grub of the cock-chaffer, the Aug, 

 the turnip-fly, the black canker caterpillar, the black infeft, 

 which deflroys beans, and the yellow maggot, which feeds 

 on the ears of wheat, are of numerous families, and not lefs 

 mifchievous than any of the above vermin. They not un- 

 frequently cut off turnip, clover, tare, and other fuch crops, 

 and do great damage to thofe of the corn-kind. There is a 

 whitifh fort of flug that often prevails much in bean and 

 pea-flubbles, in flrong land when fovvn with wheat, and in 

 wheat after clover and beans. It is very deflruftive too to 

 rye-crops in fome diflrifts and places. The deilruftion of 

 thefe forts of vermin may be attempted in different ways, as 

 by having them devoured, in fome cafes, by the introduftion 

 of fuitable birds for the purpofe, and thofe of ducks and 

 guUs in other cafes. It has been flated that worms and 

 flugs which feed on the new roots of corn, and other fuch 

 matters, may moflly, perhaps, be deflruyed by a clean fal- 

 low, continued fo long as to occaiion their death by want of 

 food. It is probably a miflaken notion, it is faid, that lime 

 fpread in fuch a quantity as to be beneficial to the foil, will 

 deflroy thefe reptile vermin. In Kent, near the chalk-hills, 

 and even on a calcareous foil, they lime, it is faid, fre- 

 quently, and very liberally, without being at all relieved 

 from the ravages of worms. The earth-worm feeds on 

 herbs, and as its fize is much larger, fo it is probably more 

 deflruftive than the wire-worm. See Black Canter, 

 Grub, Slug, TvRviip-F/y, and WiuE-fVorm. 



Vermin of the fly kind, fuch as hornets, wafps, and others, 

 are often prejudicial to feeding and pafluring flock, and 

 render team animals, in fome inflances, quite ungovernable ; 

 they and their nefls fhould of courfe be as much deflroyed 

 as poflible, in order to prevent fuch inconveniences and acci- 

 dents. Seee Wasp. 



Game may be confidered as a fort of vermin on farms, 

 which feed upon the farmer's crops, and induce and en- 

 courage fportfmen to commit much injury and deilruftion 



on 



